Oxidative balance score and periodontitis in postmenopausal women: a nationwide study

Menopause is a time of declining reproductive function in women, and hormonal changes can affect oral health and chronic diseases such as periodontitis. The oxidative balance score (OBS) indicates oxidative balance using diet and lifestyle habits. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between the OBS and periodontitis in postmenopausal women.

The study included 16,489 participants from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Modified Poisson regression was used to examine the effect of the OBS on periodontitis in postmenopausal women, adjusting for confounders.

The OBS was 17.66 ± 0.13 in the presence of periodontitis and 18.42 ± 0.10 in the absence of periodontitis. In the fully adjusted model, higher OBS quartiles were associated with a lower prevalence of periodontitis (Q2, prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.899; Q3, PR = 0.941; Q4, PR = 0.800). When divided into components, lifestyle OBS showed a significant inverse association with periodontitis (PR = 0.786, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.638-0.970), whereas dietary OBS did not (PR = 0.952, 95% CI: 0.804-1.127).

In postmenopausal women, an increase in the OBS due to a healthy diet and lifestyle is associated with periodontal health. A low OBS may be considered a potential risk indicator for periodontitis.